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The Netherlands - IBC Show 2021 has been rescheduled to take place on 3-6 December at RAI Amsterdam, moving from its usual slot in September.
Health and safety were key factors behind the decision, with the IBC operations team focused on creating a safe environment.
IBC chief executive Michael Crimp explains: “Following a period of industry consultation, the IBC Partnership Board has agreed that December is the best date in terms of safety and industry readiness to engage. Our conclusion is based on the results of the recent IBC exhibitor and visitor surveys and macro evidence of Europe opening up for business. We really value the feedback and candid input of our community - we have always been ‘by the industry, for the industry’, and this ethos continues to guide our daily decision-making process.”
IBC has surveyed visitors and exhibitors, and two third

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UK - Liverpool Public Health officials and scientists have found the city’s pilot events did not cause any detectable spread of COVID-19 across the region.
The city hosted four successful events as part of the national Events Research Programme (ERP), with a total of 13,258 people attending The Good Business Festival, two nightclub events hosted by Circus and the Sefton Park Pilot music festival.
All attendees were required to take a lateral flow test ahead of the event - a negative test would allow them access. Five people with the COVID-19 virus were identified through this process and were not allowed to attend.
Ticketholders were encouraged to take a PCR test on the day of the event, and a second one five days later.
This process identified four people as possibly having the virus at an event; and a further seven were identified with the virus four to
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UK - Founders of the global #WeMakeEvents movement feature in the fourth episode of The Meister Series, Jägermeister’s project celebrating “the mavericks and innovators in the music and events industry.”
In April 2020, #WeMakeEvents was launched by PLASA in response to the impact of the pandemic on the live events ecosystem. What started as a single UK campaign soon grew into a global movement now spanning 40 countries. Since then, through fundraising, mental health support and campaigning, the organisation has worked tirelessly to keep the music industry alive and support those impacted by the crisis.
In this fourth episode, founders and board members of #WeMakeEvents - Nicky Greet and Peter Heath from PLASA, Koy Neminathan from Avolites and James Gordon from Audiotonix - join Jägermeister in a passiona

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Long-term Recovery - Arts Council England has announced details of a £42m fund to support the long-term recovery of the arts, heritage and creative sectors. The Cultural Investment Fund, which is a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport programme administered by ACE, is made up of three strands. These are the Cultural Development Fund, Museum Estate and Development Fund and Libraries Improvement Fund.
The Cultural Investment Fund was originally announced in 2019, but was put on hold during the pandemic to prioritise the delivery of the Culture Recovery Fund. With a budget of £18.5m in this financial year, the Cultural Development Fund will support places outside of London to invest in "creative, cultural and heritage initiatives that are designed to make places more attractive to live and work in and to visit". This is the second round of the Cultural Development

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USA - Behind the Scenes has announced that Cable Munkey has become a Pledge-a-Product partner by pledging a percentage of sales from its Cable Munkey cable management product.
Cable Munkey is a small business founded to bring innovative products and solutions to the theatre and live event market, like Cable Munkey. Founder Jonathan Allender-Zivic says he decided to support Behind the Scenes with his product because “I am a lifelong theatre artist and practitioner who wants to give back to those in need within our industry”.
BTS Foundation chair Rick Rudolph commented, “We’re delighted to welcome Jonathan and his unique product as Pledge-a-Product partners. He’s a wonderful example that you don’t have to be a large company to want to give back and support your industry. Every commitment makes a difference in what we are able to do to help our colleagues in

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South Africa - The South Africa Events Council has published its review of the past year. “The SA Events Council is fighting to retain the headway we have made towards re-opening the events industry before the losses we are suffering reach a point of no return,” says the council.
“For 14 months, the associations that make up the SA Events Council have collaborated on various measures to re-open the industry. We have developed a stringent set of ‘Re-opening Guidelines’, sent scores of lobbying letters and hosted in-person, proof-of-concept events to show what is possible. We have also conducted awareness campaigns, hosted webinars, organised radio and television Interviews, provided information sessions and engaged with the various relevant government entities in person.”
As one of the first responders to the crisis, SACIA's Event Safety Council developed a

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UK - Bluesound Professional has announced the launch of the fourth instalment of its podcast series called Surroundscapes. The series continues to feature expert guests from around the world offering perspectives on changes affecting the current and post-pandemic workplace.
The series is targeted at commercial A/V integrators, consultants and business owners interested in the idea of using audio visual technology to ‘help create memorable and immersive experiences in commercial environments amidst our new reality’.
Hosted by Graeme Harrison, VP and GM of Bluesound Professional, Surroundscapes Series 4 is theme focused on the Future of Music and Music Creation. Harrison, along with invited industry experts, will explore two principal areas of the music industry. First, they will investigate new ways of both composing and performing music often

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The Netherlands - “Using Capture 2021 is almost like seeing the visuals in real life,” is Eurovision LD Henk Jan van Beek’s assessment of the Swedish manufacturer’s pre-visualisation software system. No stranger to the Eurovision event, having been part of the 2005 programming, Capture Visualisation was proud to be part of this year’s show at Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena. Always an extravagant feast of lights, video and FX, Eurovision 2021 was chosen as one of Europe’s pilot events for COVID safe live events, making for one of the most eagerly anticipated Eurovision shows of all time.
Since 1994, Capture Visualisation has been developing and evolving the software in the pre-programming sector and is now seen as one of the leading brands in this increasingly busy sector of the entertainment market.
"It is an honour to be the preferred solution for this premier

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USA - Costa Mesa-based manufacturer, QSC, will present Mental Health Amplified, a special virtual fundraising event to celebrate the healing power of music. This live, 90-minute musical event, to be held on 27 May from 4pm to 5:30 pm (PST,) will celebrate the magical power of music to transform peoples’ lives and enhance our mental, physical and emotional well-being.
All proceeds support The Priority Centre of Orange County California, whose mission is to deliver life-changing programmes to assist people in crisis by giving them the tools and support necessary to end the generational cycle of trauma- including prevention of child abuse and neglect, through early intervention and mental health services and advocacy.
Headlining the event are three of today’s top up-and-coming artists – singer/songwriter Lee Coulter, R&B artist Cedrice and Latin soul artist Andy

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USA - In support of Mental Health Action Day, the Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative has posted new online Mental Health First Aid training classes in June and July for entertainment industry workers in the U.S. at btshelp.org/mhfa.
Mental Health First Aid is a training course that gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem, or experiencing a crisis, and help connect them to the appropriate care.
Mental Health First Aid is an international training programme that was created in Australia in 2000, brought to the US in 2008, and is now in 24 countries around the world. On completing the course, you will become a certified Mental Health First Aider w

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Olympic Proportions - Plans have been announced for the construction of the biggest theatre in London for 45 years. The 1,575-seat Olympia will form part of a redevelopment of the same name in Kensington. It follows a £100m deal between theatre operator Trafalgar Entertainment and the site owners of Kensington Olympia in west London. The last theatre to open in the capital with over 1,000 seats was the National Theatre on South Bank in 1976.
If plans are approved, the Olympia theatre is scheduled to open in 2025 and Trafalgar Entertainment would have a lease for 35 years. Trafalgar co-founder Sir Howard Panter said it would be "something of international stature as the UK emerges into the new era". He added: "We hope that a bit like our neighbour just down the road, the Royal Albert Hall, it will become an iconic, marvellous cultural building in its own right. The announcem

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UK - Welsh rental house, Magnum PA has recently purchased a number of Powersoft’s T Series touring amplifier platforms after a consultation with partner – and Powersoft distributor – CUK Audio. The company initially ordered four T604 and four T602, though it soon added another T604 and has since revealed plans to add another three T602 in order to complete its inventory.
“I’ve known of Powersoft for years and was well aware of their famous high power per rack unit reputation,” said Philip Hughes, managing director Magnum PA. “We had been looking for an option to streamline our main system racks for a while, but it was difficult to find an option that also met our requirements for Dante connectivity and failover. Although we didn’t quite have the need for the power of the X4, as soon as we saw the T Series we knew we had found the perfect solution.”
H

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UK - Bristol-based SLX has announced the launch of its repackaged student support scheme, The Lighting Programme, and is on the hunt for ambitious and tenacious students of lighting design and technical production. Four winners will be picked to receive the full benefit of the programme’s mentorship opportunities, equipment for creative projects, and networking opportunities, which include introductions to leading manufacturers.
The Lighting Programme, now open for applications, builds upon SLX’s previous ‘Student Bursary’ scheme, but with the addition of high value facets of support, knowledge, and experience direct from the team at SLX. The programme is led by SLX’s business development manager, Ruari Cormack and sales team manager, Katy Lowe, who offer experience from working in the field, from a variety of roles and across many disciplines.
SLX CEO, Alast

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UK - Donated by international metal-music industry heavyweights such as Black Sabbath, Nuclear Blast, My Dying Bride, Laney, Epiphone, Earache, Kerrang, Century Media, Sony/BMG, Razamataz, Krusher Joule, Live Nation/Download, 5BAM, Bravado, Blaze Bailey, Very Metal Art, Good As Gold, and UK Metal Merger, #ILoveMetal is the world’s biggest ever metal-music charity prize draw.
In partnership with Julie Weir/Music For Nations – the #ILoveMetal collection was collated by the UK Metal Merger In Solitude single supergroup collaboration, with the motivation of raising funds for the Stagehand Charity which is dedicated to providing severe-hardship funding and mental health support for live events industry workers.
The #ILoveMetal campaign supports the UK’s live event workers who right now, are in financial crisis. Whilst providing the opportunity to win money-can

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USA - On 5 May, ANSI's Board of Standards Review approved two ESTA documents as American National Standards. The following day, ANSI's BSR approved four more. All six are now published and available on the ESTA TSP website for download at no cost at http://tsp.esta.org/freestandards. You also may buy them from ANSI and IHS Markit for $40 each.
ANSI E1.2 – 2021, Entertainment Technology - Design, Manufacture and Use of Aluminum Trusses and Towers describes what the title says, and also the associated aluminium structural components, such as head blocks, sleeve blocks, bases, and corner blocks, used in the entertainment industry in portable structures. It's a revision of and supersedes the previous version.
ANSI E1.28 – 2011 (R2021), Guidance on planning followspot positions in places of public assembly, offers guidance on the planning of permanent foll

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UK - PLASA ran a second online programme from 10-13 May, covering the most vital topics and trends for those who work across live events and entertainment sectors.
Following the successful debut PLASA Online in October 2020, PLASA Online 2021 attracted thousands of industry professionals who signed up to watch the four-day programme which featured expert panels, technical sessions, and presentations on creative projects and products.
The ABTT partnered with PLASA Online to host popular presentations each day. These included a panel of Health & Safety and production experts who discussed the challenges of returning to work; a talk with CREATEBritain co-founder Richard Woods who introduced the new features of the online platform for creative professionals; the 2020 updates to the Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment and Volume 1 of The Theatre G

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World - The programme of events for Virtual Showlight has been announced.
The online event, taking place on 25 May, gives delegates the opportunity to hear industry-leading lighting designers talk about their work, ask them questions and network with others from across the industry, for a flavour of the full Showlight experience.
The programme is as follows (all timings are BST):
15.00 - Introduction & welcome from Showlight chairman John Allen
15.10 - Paper 1 - The Disco Lighthouse - Hamish Jenkinson
15.45 - Break
16.00 - Paper 2 - Lighting a Comic Book Movie - Birds of Prey Case Study - Mike Bauman
16.45 - Sponsors Breakout Rooms
17.35 - Paper 3 - Lighting Around The World Without Leaving Home: The Story of Waitress in Japan - Ken Billington, Rob Halliday, Aaron Porter
18.15 - Networking, Sponsors Breakout R

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France - PRG and MADO XR has launched Virtual Production Studio-xR, a 360-° LED facility powered by Brompton Technology Tessera SX40 4K LED processing. The space “brings the power of virtual production to any type of pre-recorded or live production” and features ROE Visual LED panels, with multiple Tessera LED processors running the entire set-up.
“Situated on the outskirts of Paris at the historic TSF Studios, we designed a modular studio of approximately 800m2 to provide full control over both the lighting and the filmed scenes in a realtime recording environment. We have put a team together that is fully dedicated to the studio and is composed of PRG and MADO XR staff who will be able to advise and guide you in the realisation of your projects,” comments Thierry Kra, managing director of PRG France.
Louis De Castro, CEO and co-founder of MADO XR, utilised o

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UK - Preevue and Race Furniture have announced a strategic partnership, bringing together Race’s decades of experience in theatre seating design and Preevue’s venue scanning and sightline analysis technologies.
While the two companies will remain separate, they will collaborate closely on future projects where skills and resources can be shared, with Preevue services being integrated into Race’s offering to new and existing clients.
Lucy Stokes, managing director of Race Furniture comments: “I am thrilled to announce this key partnership between Race and Preevue. Race has over 75 years heritage within theatre and venue seating and continues to grow. We view this partnership with Preevue as a major step forward not only in Race’s evolution but the evolution of the entire industry - for the first time ever seating design, layout and manufacturing expertise wil

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UK - Version 2 Lights Limited (Version 2) has further invested in Prolights ArenaCob 4FC and has also added LumiPix 15IP LED fixtures to its extensive rental stock holding.
Version 2’s managing director, Nick Edwards comments: “When setting up Version 2, we were in the fortunate position of buying everything new. We didn't want to be burdened by the legacy of traditional tungsten technology, but at the same time wanted to keep the iconic look of the traditional fixtures. We were delighted by some of the LED alternatives from Prolights, which enabled us to keep the style and look desired by many LDs, but in LED form.”
Version 2 has been using LumiPix 16H for a number of years, in fact at year end, they were the most utilised fixture in Version 2’s inventory.
Edwards continues: “Thanks to its cost-effective price point, LumiPix 16H has always proved popul

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UK - To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Unusual Rigging has announced the creation of an on-site allotment at its Bugbrooke HQ. The initiative aims to promote mental wellbeing amongst the company’s staff who will be encouraged to take time out from the nine-to-five to tend to the plot.
The company has also recently undertaken an employee survey to gauge levels of satisfaction in the workplace and has launched the Unusual Hub - a new employee access only communication platform that has been developed by Unusual’s IT team and a source of shared information and news.
Unusual’s facilities and resource manager Lizzie Richmond explains: “As a company, it is vital we look after our staff and in an industry where the culture can involve long, unsociable hours and periods of time working away from home, we recognise that this can impact on people’s mental health.

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UK - Event catering and brand logistics specialist Global Infusion Group has launched the Tony Awards, an internal awards ceremony held in honour of the company's late founder and CEO Tony Laurenson, who passed away this January.
Established to bring the team together, the Tony Awards will be a celebration and allow everyone to have some fun after an incredibly difficult period for the business. The ceremony will be held on 21 May and t he winners of the tongue-in-cheek categories will be decided upon by Global Infusion Group employees who have all been invited to take part in a public vote.

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UK - AV and entertainment technology company Anna Valley has acquired event technical support provider Production Plus. The purchase will provide Anna Valley with additional staff and technical capabilities to support the company’s portfolio of venue clients.
Production Plus has provided technical services to the events, hospitality, corporate and private markets since 1985. The company supplies video, audio, lighting, rigging and set design, build and staging services and equipment from a 20,000sq.ft facility in Hertfordshire and is the preferred supplier to a number of five-star hotels and venues.
Like many suppliers in the sector, it has recently experienced difficult trading conditions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last 12 months, the owners were forced to reduce the company’s full-time staff and re-evaluate the business, ultimately deciding to approac

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Russia - Fulcrum Acoustic, creators of professional loudspeaker technologies, has appointed Pro Audio & Light Systems as its distributor for Russia.
“Pro Audio & Light Systems has an extensive network and first-rate technical expertise,” explains Fulcrum Acoustic president and co-founder Stephen Siegel. “We are happy to have their support as we continue to expand our presence internationally.”
“We have been looking for an installation-focused loudspeaker brand for some time now,” says Elena Korovina at Pro Audio & Light Systems. “The technology behind the Fulcrum Acoustic product line is impressive and allows us to provide innovative solutions to our markets.”
  1. Christie names Visualization as UK distribution partner
  2. K-array launches Kgear pro audio brand
  3. Shure celebrates landmark anniversaries
  4. Powersoft offers free certified training courses
  5. DWR hosts DiGiCo S-Series training
  6. Follow-Me names ACE as distributor for China
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